By Asmita Dey
Online grocery platforms Grofers and BigBasket have been able to shift about 30-40% of their total consumer base to subscription programmes, netting almost 60% of GMV sales (which translates into an estimated over $500 million in annualised run rate) from the paid plans in the year to March 2019, according to a study by market research firm RedSeer Consulting.
The study shows that while the average order value (AOV) of regular customers of these platforms stands at around $16, AOV of subscription-based paid members is higher at $25.
Subscribers of Big Basket’s and Grofers’ membership plans, bb star and Smart Bachat Club, respectively, get various benefits ranging from reduced prices, free delivery on orders whose value breaches a certain threshold to monthly cashbacks and reserved delivery slots.
“Armed with this strong value proposition, the platforms were able to drive subscription adoption rapidly in less than 15 months of launch on an average,” analysts at RedSeer said.
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Grofers and BigBasket have been expanding rapidly. While Grofers earlier this week said it is raising $200 million in series F funding led by SoftBank Vision Fund (SVF), the Alibaba-backed BigBasket recently turned unicorn with a fresh $150-million funding led by Mirae Asset-Naver Asia Growth Fund.
Grofers, which is banking on its low-priced FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) private labels to drive its second phase of growth, will use the funds to create warehousing infrastructure and expand in new markets.
Intensifying the battle for a bigger share of the market, rival BigBasket has also forayed into the beauty segment. Grofers has so far raised about $441.8 million, according to data from Crunchbase. BigBasket has raised a total of $989.5 million till date.
According to RedSeer Consulting, the online grocery segment is growing at a CAGR of 60-70% and is expected to touch $4-5 billion in 2020 from around $1.2 billion currently.
